Being involved in an accident is a trying experience. If you discover that your car insurance company is refusing to pay a claim that you have filed, this can only contribute to the levels of stress and anxiety that you are experiencing. If you decide to file a complaint against your insurance company, whom are you suppose to complain too? All fifty states have insurance department whose sole purpose is to mediate disputes and investigate incidences of foul play.

Before you decide to file a complaint with your state’s insurance department, it is advisable to attempt to resolve the dispute through your insurance agent or the insurance agency’s customer service department. You should keep careful track of any correspondence, conversations, phone calls, or emails that pass between you and your insurance company. It is also advisable to reread the fine details of your insurance policy. If the situation cannot be resolved satisfactorily between you and the insurance company, then it is time to file a complaint. The type of disputes that your state’s insurance department will handle includes claims disputes, fraudulent practices, policy cancellation, and adjuster disputes.

The aim and intent of your state’s department of insurance is to protect a motorist from unfair insurance practices; however, it does have limitations on what actions it can take. An insurance department cannot dispense legal advice nor can they act as a judge in a dispute without thorough documentation of your complaints. Once a formal complaint has been filed, it will take your state’s insurance department between 5 and 30 business days to attempt to resolve the issue. If any inquiries are made of you by the insurance company, make certain that you are prompt in your replies in order to expedite the process. If the department awards a judgment in your favor, your insurance company may be subjected to fines or the revocation of their business license. It is important to remember that simply because you have filed a complaint does not guarantee that an insurance department will render a verdict in your favor.

In most parts of the world, driving without some form of vehicle insurance can result in fines or other punishments. Having proper, up-to-date vehicle insurance is of vital importance in most civilized nations of the world because of the clustered mess of fiscal responsibility that usually erupts after an accident. In order to understand vehicle insurance, it is important to understand what an insurance policy is and how it relates to the law.

An insurance policy is, essentially, a binding contract that works between an insurance company and the policy holder. In Truck insurance terms, the person who buys the policy can also be called the “insured”. The insured then pays a sum of money, called a “premium” in Truck insurance language, which ensures that the insurance company agrees to pay for certain types of loss or damages as represented in the contract’s specifications.

The government keeps track of many agencies and insurance sales companies that are working with vehicle insurance. It is the state governments that manage this element, however, as there is no federal level agency for insurance in the US. Instead, state sanctioned departments watch over the insurance industry closely and monitor the rates and the legalities of working within the business. These departments are most commonly under the umbrella of the Department of Insurance.

In some other countries, insurance companies work with the Department of Motor Vehicle or other similar departments to establish the legalities of the Truck insurance claims. Department of Motor Vehicle claims work the same as claims to the Department of Insurance in that the departments simply serve as watchdog groups to help assist the process and ensure that the process is continuing with all legal pieces in place. Without any legal ramifications in the Truck insurance policy, there is nothing preventing unfair practices or other unfortunate instances from taking place in the industry.

Many consumers mistakenly sign up for cheap motor insurance in an effort to save some money, but the savings do not always come to pass when accidents happen. Elements of the law are in place to ensure that victims of accidents are rightfully compensated and the driver of a negligent Truck may, in fact, be found to be culpable for paying the remainder of the claim should their cheap motor insurance policy not cover the entire set of damages as determined in a court of law. In that case, having Truck insurance that may have appeared to save money in the first place may end up costing an awful lot more in the long run.

It is crucial to remember that you have a legal obligation to carry enough insurance when you are behind the wheel. Within the framework of that legal obligation, you must ensure that your policy covers all of the fiscal responsibility you may have and that it has enough liability within its framework to cover the costs of any damages you may find yourself responsible for. Without the proper coverage, you may find yourself liable for a whole lot more than you bargained for. Having ample vehicle insurance is incredibly important.

Today there are many agencies that are used to control a variety of different things. The Department of Idaho Insurance controls the required coverage for vehicles as well as works to regulate the cost of that coverage. Every state has an agency that works on this type of thing today. The requirements are set up for each individual state.

Deciding what requirements should be placed on drivers will be a difficult decision. While there are a variety of different options that can be found, many people do not understand the need for each vehicle to have coverage. Many feel that the cost of the coverage that is required far outweighs the benefits that they might receive, especially if they do not ever file a claim.

The need for coverage was originally set up to help protect people from other drivers. However, today the cost of that coverage is quite high. As a result today’s requirements are different. In the past there were no actual minimums set. Today however you will be required to have a minimum amount to help reimburse other people when they are involved in a collision with you.

The agencies that set up the limits for this type of coverage have varying opinions about what the limit should be. As a result many states have different minimums that are set up. However every state has some type of requirement that drivers must meet to drive legally on the roads within that state.

Often there are questions regarding travel from one state to another, especially when there are differences in the coverage requirements for the state. It is important to understand that the minimums that you must carry are to be based on the state in which the vehicle is registered. So for example if you have a vehicle registered in Florida and travel to another state, the required amount of coverage is based on the requirements in Florida, not the state that you travel to.

There are many confusing requirements for coverage of an automobile today. The Department of Idaho Insurance can be helpful in sorting out what you will be mandated to have for coverage on your vehicle when registered it in that state. When you leave the state and move to another, you will need to verify that you have the proper coverage for the new state as well when you register your vehicle there.

The Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) announced that as early as Spring of 2010, non-compliance notices will be mailed to owners of uninsured vehicles. The notice will provide a warning for those driving uninsured – the situation will need to be corrected immediately. The notice will list the potential fines for driving uninsured and advise repeat offenders they face suspension of driving privileges.

The non-compliance notices are going out as part of the TexasSure Uninsured Motorists Verification program passed by the 79th Legislature. The law requires insurers to submit their active policyholder information to the state, who in turn matches the submitted Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) with the VINs contained in the registered vehicle database at TxDMV. Of the VIN numbers submitted by insurers, 99 percent were successfully matched to the vehicle registration database.

One in Four are Uninsured

While TDI will not release specific statistics, it is estimated at a minimum, one out of every four vehicles on Texas roads is currently not insured. In June of 2008, access to the TexasSure program was provided to DPS officers and all 254 county tax offices. The program was an immediate hit. “Motorists have overwhelmingly embraced the TexasSure database, especially given its 99 percent success rate of matching vehicles to their insurance coverage,” said Rebecca Davio, TxDMV’s Director of Vehicle Titles and Registration. “Its proving to be a tremendous resource for identifying those without insurance.” Notices are currently being mailed to the one percent of policyholders whose insurer reported coverage, yet their VIN number was unable to be matched to a current vehicle registration.

Ongoing Monitoring of Uninsured Vehicles

“Texas insurance agents and citizens alike have long awaited this time.” comments Christine Huddleston, President of the Alliance of Insurance Agents of Texas (AIAT). The AIAT played a significant role in the passage and implementation of the TexasSure program.

Law enforcement throughout our state have praised the system and appreciate the ability to verify whether a vehicle is insured by just running their license plate number. However, it has always been our top priority to prevent the uninsured from getting behind the wheel in the first place. These notices will serve as a proactive approach in reducing the number of uninsured drivers and we commend the TDI for all of their efforts in getting us to this point.

TDI advised auto insurers the non-compliance notices will begin in Spring of 2010. All registered vehicles will be tracked on an ongoing basis to monitor their insured status. After a vehicle is listed as uninsured for nine (9) consecutive weeks, a letter of non-compliance will be mailed to the registered owner.

Insurance Agents, Are You Ready to Handle the New Business?

“Agents need to be prepared. It is going to be the 1980s all over again.” says Mary Ann Hooten, a Territory Manager for GAINSCO Auto Insurance. Mary Ann worked for an insurance agency in 1982 when the mandatory insurance law initially passed in Texas. “Our phones rang off the hook every night until midnight. We had to turn the phones off at night, even though they were ringing, because we simply could not handle any more business.”

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